Minutes from February 14, 1996 Meeting of CSuite

CSuite Itself

• "To understand CSuite, you must understand AWK" -David Trueman
• Ben Armstrong argues the case for Perl, but it is felt that the language allows too much flexibility to allow the writing of obscure code, the language is "unclean". Currently, CSuite IS AWK/SH so...
• Gerard argued case of splitting variables file into pieces, for library sort of thing. Used as include file for used features only.

Progress Reports

Blaine

• Working on Call-Tracking with Forms-base system (maybe an FAQ)

Matthew Wulfman

• Been distracted
• Structure of the team areas: Each team keeps record on own project in its area
  • Document what have found
  • Pull off a footer from David Potter's Documentation Project

Ben Armstrong

• On a personal quest in Unix Understanding
• Looking for recommended reading for
  • AWK
  • Unix Programming Environment: Kernighan and Pipe - But only want some of it. Get it straight from the horses mouth.
• People should Keep track of books read and recommended
• HyperNews tidbit: Asking them a question

Robert Mackay

Was introduced. He is working on Statistics gathering

Carol Sin-Wulfman

• Investigating Majordomo-Web front end options available already on the 'Net.
• Found MailServ
• Gerard mentioned lwgate - in Perl, interface to 5 popular listserv softwares.
  • John Howard Oxley - pointed at sendmail?
  • Need Request and create maillist
  • Need to explain terminology to the user (of majordomo)
  • NCSA HTTP/1.5 - has huge config file... wait maybe that was the Majordomo interface?
    • Rotate Log?
    • Can ask for some outstanding msgs of delivered mail
    • A person gets the mail from majordomo on Tuesdays
    • Want to be able to say "I have some freetime: send me some mail."
    • There was a feeling that this is contrary to the normal operation of Majordomo, not right tool.
    • Split mail into several folders

David Jackson

• CGI Scripts
• Offline Mail: Still considering stuff from Manitoba
  • Popper - need a tester with a PC or Mac on the Network. Try picking up your mail, BenA has volunteered. Netscape has POP Mail - this would be good for the PATS (Public Access Terminals)
  • But may or may not leave the mail on the server - puts it on the local hard drive
  • This is an urgent concern. Is it a workable solution?
  • How much state info does Netscape leave on the system? How do we get rid of it when someone gets up from the machine? MatthewW suggested fdisk-format cycle :-)
  • Maybe we can convince the libraries to use Linux. Maintenance Contract?

Carlos Feitas

• (Again Offline mail) Messing with SUIT (SOUP?) (vs QWK) for Mac. Has trashed inbox twice.
• Design philosophy - don't give choices.
• Public Data Area (PDA) - Do we want to decree we are dropping these last few?
  • Software come with a modem - sometimes modems only work with this.
  • Want a set of config files which DEFINITELY work for a big set of packages
  • We need a person to do each package?
  • Schedule a big meeting for this.

Gerard on Getting Into CSuite Machine.

But WWW.Csuite.cs.dal.ca is not in the Nameserver.

• Guest login is disabled because shell has SUN specific things in it (CSuite is a Linux Box).
• Is Cleaning up system also.
• Do not switch to using a $AWK varaible - assume it is in the PATH
• tput is in fact available in Slackware Linux (from Ed Dyre)

Ed Dyre

Fixing SetTerm script

• Message that "It will not take effect until next login"
• Check is characters are alphanumeric
• Returns long name - tput can tell whether it is valid
• Offer telnet to your username to test it (as link on page)
• "xterm" is assuming 24 lines
• Correct: "xterm 36" note space. But this is not saved, it only looks at the $TERM envvar.
• There is a difference between termcap and terminfo (latter is newer, whereas termcap is older but more universal) One checks stty only.
• maybe eradicate termcap
• maybe diff compile options for PINE

David Potter

Planning to test Bulk Mail Scripts

Chris Maxwell

Nothing at all

Andy Irwin

Thinking of doing documentation

Several people not here next week

Online Demo Things (WHO script) with David Trueman

• Newer format for getting variables
• If $CSROOT is NULL, read CSVAR . This is good for using library routines (ie a SH script calls another which is used in many)
• There is some bad logic in the magic incantation for load CSVARS, maybe {} would help.
• The WHO routine. Not in source list -> 500 error
• Old one used 5 pipelines
• Now caches output instead - only reruns the data collection if UTMP file is newer than cache.
• cats (UNIX's type function) cache file to output at end.
• This routine is run 3000-4000 times per day! It used to take 30 seconds of realtime. Now down to 1-2 (latter when it is a "cache miss".
• It moves the tmp copy into the cache when it rebuilds
• Server no longer sending of its HTTP headers.
• WHO is the most popular system service ! But are they ^R's (refresh page in Lynx)?
• IDEAS: Maybe a messaging facilty at the bottom of every tool (lynx, pine, and tin). People register their interest in certain events: eg person logging in, time expiring, etc.
• The new HTTPd is running (1.5a) on CSuite also. Soon to play with Virtual Hosting.
• Upcoming project: Linux machine as a router.

Next Week

• Wish to have closure on SOMETHING.
• Maybe a project to has over as a group
• Ed and SetTerm?
• Blaine: "how is this documentation?" session
• Core Scripts for Buld Mail are ready, needs testing and info on Majordomo. Will be 3 weeks to test-readiness.
• HyperNews Might be ready - depends on the responsiveness of developers.
  • CCN - groups only - maybe dump Usenet ?
  • UIUC.EDU
  • A Look at HyperNews
    • Base Article
    • Then Responses
    • Notification if someone posts a response.
    • Can move responses around
    • Response Nesting
    • Icon to associate with a response to characterise it.
    • Fully HyperMedia - Can embed HTML in anything
    • Outline depth, embed depth
    • Submitted fill-out form
    • SmartText offered along with PlainText, HTML, and a URL.
    • Can throw people into PICO for editting the text - we do.
• We should come up with a comprehensive list of options you can change on the system
• Maybe a single place to change everything
• Compromise for flexibility and Idiot-Proofing
• Can write to the ~/.tin/... directory, but not .bashrc (Can't write dot files can write dot directories)

End Meeting